In this episode of Frankly Speaking, I have a wonderful conversation with Chris Tritabaugh, golf course superintendent at Hazeltine National Golf Club, about his agronomic preparation and humanistic hopes for the Ryder Cup. Our wide-ranging and particularly open and honest -- in the Tritabaugh tradition -- conversation ranges from the community and atmosphere Chris crafted by invitation in the maintenance staff headquarters... to his active use of social media throughout the event... to the agronomics of topdressing strategies, use of ammonium sulfate as a primary N source, iron sulfate as a "heat sink" in late fall and early spring... to the "heron shit" incident... to his mantra of "work calmly from the top down and have fun". Check it out.

This episode of Frankly Speaking has two "Frank Chats": the first with Clint Mattox, PhD candidate at Oregon State University, on Microdochium patch/pink snow mold ... and the second with Dr. Doug Soldat about his potassium fertilization research at the University of Wisconsin|Madison.

In this episode, I speak frankly with David Kuypers, CGCS, former golf course superintendent and now head of Lawn and Garden for Syngenta Canada. A Penn State alum (won't hold that against him) and instructor in the Guelph Turf Institute,

David and I discuss his career transition, Canadian pesticide regulation compared to that in the US, and the stormwater capture project he worked on while at the Cutten Club in Guelph.

In this Frankly Speaking audiocast, I chat with Rick Slattery, a 30+ year career superintendent who has spent the past 21 years at Locust Hill Country Club outside Rochester, NY. Rick was a 2015 GCSAA Environmental Leaders in Golf (ELGA) Award recipient in the Private Club category. Under Rick's leadership the club was also recognized by the NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation as an environmental leader.

Much of Rick's environmental focus has been on water management and in a year when water is on everyone's mind -- too much or not enough -- this conversation is particularly insightful.

But it's not all the usual! Our far ranging discussion includes gems like these from Rick:

"When did it become the superintendent's responsibility to ensure a golfers shot holds the green?

When a new superintendent takes over a course, the golf course is often going to get worse before it gets better...

You don't believe anything you do with Poa is going to be as bad as it is until you do it...

My turf might be 20% Poa but that Poa is conditioned to behave just like bentgrass and not expect any special treatment. We can go home at noon on Saturdays...

I don't believe you should modify your greens mix to more than 70% sand.

I had three tees that were pure sand. I aerified and topdressed with topsoil, and now they act just like all my other tees.

Try establish a baseline of maximum allowable water deficit and then try to reduce that every year.

I hate to mow. Mowing is one of the most damaging things we do to the turf."

In this episode of Frankly Speaking, I chat with one of my old pals, Dr. Roch Gaussoin of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Roch did some fascinating research on managing soil organic matter, and the value of sand topdressing, coring/not-coring, spiking, solid-tining, slicing/venting, and other new-age cultivation techniques.

He also has some intriguing conclusions that are bound to stimulate thought and conversations among the superintendent (and academic) community. Smart talk from leading thinkers and always speaking frankly.